Caloosa Middle student earns one-in-a-million honor

February 9, 2013

When Caloosa Middle School assistant principal Dr. Pamela Rader called eighth-grader Adriana Carlin down to the media room before the end of school Thursday, she thought she was in a world of trouble.

When Adriana arrived, she saw something on the projector that said "Congratulations Adriana Carlin" followed by applause from administration, teachers and her family.

Adriana had just won the Achieve3000 national "Read to Achieve" contest. Competing against more than a million students nationwide, Adriana won the student grand prize.

Article Photos

Adriana, mom Miriam, and brother Miguel after winning the Achieve3000 “Read to Achieve” contest at a ceremony at Caloosa Middle School on Thursday.

CHUCK BALLARO

"The principal said that I was probably in trouble and I was worried," Adriana said. "I saw all the people and my parents and I really thought I was in trouble. I saw the sign though and it made me feel better."

Adriana received an iPod Touch for her achievements at the surprise ceremony, while her classmates in Jenniffer Pierson's class will get a pizza party. This came as a result of her hard work in reading numerous non-fiction articles and completing tests to ensure reading comprehension.

"Adriana read within a certain category that allowed her to be a participant in the program that awarded students who met their goal," Rader said. "We are very proud of her. Her scores have gone up, she has met her goals, and her name was chosen."

The hard work hasn't gone unnoticed by Pierson, who has worked with Adriana and seen her grades and test scores shoot up since the beginning of the year.

"She has worked really hard in the Achieve3000 program and has been dedicated and diligent in taking her time to read," Pierson said. "This will be a big motivation for her to continue doing what she's doing."

The hard work hasn't just been within the school's confines. Adriana's mother, Miriam, said she has worked equally as hard at home and the results have shown it.

"The past few weeks she's been studying every day, doing her homework. She gets just As and Bs now where she didn't before," Mirium said. "We're going to CiCi's to have our own pizza party."

The person most surprised was Adriana, who came into the media room fearing the worst.

"I'm surprised. I didn't know I would make it. I tried my best to do everything," Adriana said, who added after just winning the award, "I'd like to go to Disney World."